UNICEF, UBEC consider strategies to return out-of-school children to educational institutions

News Agency Of Nigeria

April 24, 2019 6:49 PM

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that it would partner with Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to organise quarterly enrollment campaign to return out-of-school children to school.

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Mrs. Azuka Menkiti, Education Specialist, UNICEF Abuja, made this known in Kaduna on the sidelines of the National Enrollment Planning Meeting supported by UNICEF.

Menketi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the quarterly enrollment campaign, designed to reach out to every child that is missing education, was a departure from the annual school enrollment drive.

According to her, a lot of children are missing education in Nigeria and the figures are very high.

She added that the meeting was organised to develop strategies and major actions for stakeholders to key-in in this year’s enrollment campaign across the country.

“Every year UNICEF brings key stakeholders together to agree on how to organised activities around enrollment campaign in the country for the year.

“We are along with key education stakeholders to develop strategies on how to reach out to children who are not able to access their right to quality education.

“UNICEF is equally collaborating with UBEC to see how we can embark on enrolment campaign at states and zonal level, with the UBEC Zonal Coordinators in charge of the campaign in their respective zone,” she said.

The education specialist said that although the actual number of out-of-school children in the country was still being debated, “what is important is that there is a Nigerian child somewhere, who is not going to school.

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“It is, therefore, about what we need to do as a group, as a nation and as individuals to make sure that that child, sitting somewhere and not accessing his or her right to basic quality education is brought to school.

“We believe that when we start this action, people will bring their children to school and if the strategies formulated are well-implemented, more children will come to school.”

News Agency Of Nigeria